Automatic carbid-feed.



E. B. GLADISH.

AUTOMATIC GARBID FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. s, 19 3.

1,069,544 Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

wvewtoz B. B. GLADISH.

AUTOMATIC GARBID FEED.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1913.

1,069,544, Patented Au 5, 1913.

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EDWIN BYRON GLADISH, OF HIGGINSVILLE, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC CARBID-FEED.

App1ication filed January 3, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EnwiN BYRON GLAD- IsH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Higginsville, in the county of Lafayette and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Carbid-Feeds; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will'enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to acetylene gas generators, and more especially to the devices or mechanism for feeding the carbid crys tals to the water from time to time; and the object of the invention is to provide improved means for actuating the feed mechanism automatically by the descent of the gas bell. when the gas becomes low in the storage tank. This object is carried out by constructing the feed mechanism and its connections with said bell in the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of this generator complete, partly broken away to show the tilting bucket which stands beneath the carbid hopper and to show the disposition of the link connected with said bucket for actuating the latter. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elc 'ation of the bucket and its supports, and Figs. 3 and t are sectional views on the lines 3-3 and 4c4t respectively of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a slightly different form of gas generating mechanism, and Fig. 6 a vertical section n the line 66 of Fig. 5 partly broken away to show the position of the bucket therein. Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical section through the tilting bucket, taken while itstands in a position where it is receiving carbid crystals from the hopper as described below. Fig. 8 is a perspective detail of the rock shaft illustrated in the form of my device which is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 9 is a perspective detail of the carrier, and of the trigger pivoted thereto.

The acetylene gas generating plant typically shown in the accompanying drawings comprises two upright cylinders whereof one is the tank T containing the bell B which rises and falls as the gas is generated or as it is consumed. The other cylinder may be called the generating chamber G, whose interior is connected with the interior Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 5,1913.

Serial No. 740,065.

of the first cylinder by a pipe P, and this cylinder contains water. The upper end of the generating chamber is closed by a cover of suitable shape, here shown as in the form of a dome D supporting the carbid hopper H at its upper end and itself containing the carbid feed mechanism yet to be described, while the lower end of said dome is enlarged as at E to form an annular closure for the chamber G, as best seen in Fig. 1. These parts are of the desired sizes, shapes, proportions and materials, and their function in an acetylene gas generating plant is well known and therefore needs no further desoription.

Coming now more particularly to the details of the present invention, the bucket which 1 preferably employ has a body of channel shape, comprising a Hat bottom 1 and two upright sides 2, and across this bucket at apoint about mid-way between its ends is secured an upright partition 3 having a cut-off plate t at its upper edge. The entire bucket is pivotally supported on two pairs of crossed legs 5, pivotally connected at their upper ends at 6 to the body of the bucket and at their lower ends to a suitable light and open framework 7 which extends across within. the dome D and is secured thereto as best seen in Fig. 4. It follows that when said bucket is tipped in one direction the material to the left of its partition 3 flows out of that end and drops through the framework 7, while the cut-off plate t passes out from beneath the mouth of the hopper H so that the material in the latter flows into the space at the other side of the partition and charges this half of the bucket. Then when the latter is turned in the opposite direction this charge is dumped and the space to the other side of the partition is filled from the hopper. The only difference in the two halves or sides of the hopper lies in the fact that the cutoff plate projects slightly over one of them and the feed from the hopper into this half will not commence as quickly when the bucket is moving to the left as it will when the bucket is moving to the right.

Normally the bucket stands in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6. The parts are so proportioned that ordinarily it requires a double impulsea movement both to and fro--of the bucket in order to feed suflicient carbid crystals into the generator G to cause the rapid formation of gas, when the bell descends to an abnormally low point. The actuating mechanism whereby said bucket is tilted, is by preference constructed as follows, reference being had to Figs. 5, 6 and 7 The numeral 10 designates a rock shaft journaled across the dome D and having an arm 11 at its inner end connected by a strap-link 12 with the right end of the bucket, while its outer end has another arm carrying a weight 13 so disposed that its normal tendency is to tilt said bucket as seen in Fig. 6. Rising from the bell B is a rod 14 having a notch 15, and slidably mounted on said rod is a carrier 16 (Fig. 9) to which is pivoted a trigger 17 capable of engaging with said notch when the carrier descends or the rod ascends. The numeral. 18 designates a trip chain attached at its lower end to said trigger and at its upper end to some fixed support, and the length of this chain is such that just before the bell B reaches an extremely low pointin its descent, the chain becomes taut and the tip of the trigger 17 is disengaged from the notch 15. The numeral 19 designates another chain connected at one end to the carrier 16, as by meansof an eye 20 therein, and led thence through suitable connections to the weight 13, to which it is attached by means of an eye 21 thereon. In the illustration herewith the connections through which said chain is led take the form of a lever 22 pivoted between its ends at the point 23 in some fixed support, although I do not wish to be limited strictly to this detail. hat might be considered a somewhat sim. ler form of mecha nism for actuating or tilting the bucket, is shown in Fig. 1. Herein the lower end 24: of said chain passes down through a hole in the enlarged portion E of the dome, between its skirt S and the wall of the generator, and is connected with the lower end 25 of an elongated link' which leads upward and is pivotally attached to the right end of the bucket as above described. Obviously this slight modification avoids the necessity for having a rock shaft and proper bearings therefor, but it loses the advantage of having the weight 13 exposed and perhaps adjustable. In either case the action is asfollows: When gas is enerated and flows through the pipe P, the bell B rises as seen in Fig. 5. When it rises sufficiently high its notch 15 engages the trigger 17 and thereafter when gas is consumed and the bell commences to descend, it will carry the trigger and the carrier 16 downward with it as seen in Fig. 1. This draws on the chain 19 or the combined chains 19 and 24, with the result that the link 12 or 25 is pushed upward during the descent of the bell. Such movement throws the bucket from the position shown in Fig. 1 through the position shown in Fig. 2, to that shown in Fig. 7 so that its charge at the left end is dumped. 4

If this should be sufiicient to cause the resumption of gas generation, the bell then commences to ascend; but ordinarily a charge will not be quite suflicient, or the tank T will not feel the effect of the generar tion of new gas, and the result is that the bell continues to descend. This brings the trip chain taut, disengages the trigger 17 from the notch 15, and permits the weight 13 in Figs. 5 and 6 or the weight of the attachment itself in Fig. 1 to turn the bucket from the position shown in Fig. 7 backward through the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 6, with the result that the charge in its right end is dumped into the water in the generator G, and the hopper re-charges its left end. During this movement of the bucket back to what might be called its normal position, the carrier ascends as it is now free of the notch in the rod 14; but the admission of the newly generated gas to the bell B will cause the latter to rise until eventually the notch will re engage with the trigger and the parts will stand ready for renewed operation.

My purpose in supporting the bucket by a pair of crossed legs 5 is so that it will have a peculiar movement as it is swung from side to side. If it were supported from a single overhead pivot, it would swing under the hopper mouth and must ascend when it moves to either side; if it were sup ported over a single pivot, it would commence immediately to descend when it was moved to either side. But when supported as shown in the drawing, as the bucket moves to either side one end ascends and the other end descends, the descending end descends abruptly and dumps its lead, and the ascending end comes quickly under the mouth of the hopper to receive a new charge. Even when the bucket is moved to either eX treme position, one of which is shown in Fig. 7 the weight of the new charge is almostdirectly sustained by one pair of legs, with the result that the weight 13 and the weight of the bell B need hardly be taken into consideration because they are so little affected by the weight of the charges in the bucket. But the presence of the cut-off plate 4 which projects to the right of the partition 3 prevents the right end of the bucket from filling until a substantial portion of the charge in the left end has been dropped into the water. The result is that the admission of this charge at a time when the carrier is just being disconnected from the rod, permits the bucket to tip again to the right and suddenly discharge the entire load. On the other hand, while the bell was descending and the bucket was tipping to the left, the charge to the left of the partition 3 was being gradually discharged.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with a hopper having a mouth at its lower end; of a bucket disposed beneath the same and comprising a fiat bottom, two upright sides, a transverse partition connecting the latter, and a cut-off plate projecting from the upper edge of said partition toward one end of the bucket, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with a hopper having a mouth at its lower end; of a bucket disposed beneath the same and comprising a flat bottom, two upright sides, a transverse partition connecting the latter, and a substantially horizontal cut-off plate at the upper edge of said partition; and means for moving the bucket bodily on a line across and below the mouth of the hopper and tilting it simultaneously.

3. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with a hopper, and an open frameworkbeneath it; of two pairs of legs whereof the members in each pair are pivoted to said frame work and led obliquely upward across the members of the other pair, and a bucket. pivoted to the upper end of said legs and movably supported thereby beneath th hopper mouth.

4. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with a hopper, and an open framework beneath it; of two pairs of legs whereof the members in each pair are pivoted to said framework and led obliquely upward across the members of the other pair, a bucket pivotally connected with the upper ends of the members of both pairs, an upright transverse partition within said bucket, and means for moving the latter across the hopper mouth.

5. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with the generating chamber, the tank connected therewith, the carbid hopper, and a tilting bucket beneath the mouth of the latter; of the bell within said tank, a rod rising therefrom. and having a notch, a carrier slidably mounted on said rod, a trigger movably mounted on the carrier, connections between the latter and said bucket for tilting the latter by the descent of the bell, and means for disengaging the trigger from said notch when the bell has reached a low point in its descent.

6. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with the generating chamber, the tank connected therewith, the carbid hopper, and a tilting bucket beneath the mouth of the latter; of the bell within said tank, a rod rising therefrom and having a notch, a carrier slidably mounted on said rod, a trigger movably mounted on the carrier, a chain connected with said carrier and with said bucket for tilting it in one direction as the bell descends, and a trip chain connecting said latch with a fixed support and of proper length to disengage the latch from "the notch when the bell descends to a low point.

7. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination wit-h the generating chamber, the tank connected therewith, the carbid hopper, and a tilting bucket beneath the mouth of the latter; of the bell within said tank, a ,rod rising therefrom and having a notch, a carrier slidably mounted on said rod, a trigger movably mounted on the carrier, a 'chain connected with said carrier and leading upward, a rock lever to one end of which this chain is connected, another section of chain. leading downward from the other end of said lever. a rock shaft journaled in the generator, an arm at its inner end connected with the bucket, and a weight at its outer end connected with said chain, for the purpose set forth.

8. In an acetylene gas generator, the combination with the generating chamber, a dome on its upper end, a hopper at the upper end of said dome, the tank connected with said generator, and the bell within the tank; of a tilting bucket mounted within said dome beneath the hopper mouth, a rock shaft journaled across said dome and having an arm at its inner end connected with said bucket, an arm projecting from its outer endand carrying a weight. an eye .in the latter, a rod rising from said bell and provided with a notch, a carrier movable on said rod and having an eye, a trigger pivoted to said carrier and adapted to engage said notch, means for disengaging it therefrom when the bell descends to a low point, and chain connections between the eye in the carrier and the eye in said weight, f r the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- 'nesses.

EDWIN BYRON GLADISI-I.

Witnesses H. F. CAMPBELL,

RALPH A. HUSOHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

